At least four people were injured when a guy armed with an axe assaulted patrons at three Chinese restaurants in Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city. Spokespeople for North Shore and Auckland hospitals said on Tuesday that three patients are still hospitalized but in stable condition, while a fourth has been released. At around 9 p.m. (09:00 GMT) on Monday, the guy reportedly entered three Chinese eateries in the Albany neighborhood of north Auckland and began randomly hitting individuals with an axe.
The restaurants were Zhangliang Malatang, Yue’s Dumpling Kitchen, and Maya Hotpot. A 24-year-old man was taken into custody at the scene and later charged with attempted murder and aggravated assault, according to the police. A brief court appearance was made by the individual, a Chinese national, on Tuesday. The Waitemata East Area Commander, Inspector Stefan Sagar, admitted “how frightening this was for those involved.” He said that authorities had found no evidence “to suggest this is a racially motivated attack,” thus they think it was an isolated event. A witness told the New Zealand Herald that he and a buddy were having dinner when the attacker entered and began hitting the victim. I couldn’t believe it. “When I realized what was going on, he tried to make me his target,” the man, who did not want to provide his name, told the Herald. I put up my hand to stop his axe. I deflected the axe he was swinging at my head with my hand. The eatery claimed the axe wielding guy chased them out of the establishment and into another.
The Herald published a photo of what looked like a wood-splitting axe on the ground. The news website Stuff published surveillance footage showing patrons leaving one of the eateries, including one who went backwards while using a chair as a barrier, and another who bolted while carrying a firearm. According to police, more charges will be filed against the suspect, who they think acted alone. The suspect, who spoke only Chinese, was assisted by an interpreter during his court hearing. No plea was sought from him. Temporary name suppression is a regular court consequence in New Zealand, therefore his case ended that way.
